Delivery truck body



Sept. 15, 1942.

B. cLARK DELIVERY TRUCK BODY Filed May 51, -1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 15, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DELIVERY TRUCK BODY Louis B. Clark, Beaumont, Tex, assignor of onehalf to Charles E. Pool, Beaumont, Tex.

Application May 31, 1941, Serial No. 396,067

2 Claims. (01. 214-83) This invention relates to a truck body and has particular relation to the shelving arranged in the body for moving the contents onthe shelving to a position of easy access for making deliveries.

The invention has been particularly designed for the delivery of bread and other bakery products although it is capable of general use in delivery trucks.

The shelving arrangement, however, need not necessarily be confined to trucks or carriers but is adaptable for use in stores or like places so as to render the merchandise thereon readily accessible.

An object of the invention is to provide a shelf, or supporting platform, which is extensible and which is formed of sections which are movable, relative to each other so that the merchandise on any particular section may be readily moved to a convenient position of access to the truck driver or customer. The shelving construction is such that a single shelf may be employed or a series of shelves may be arranged one above the other and conveniently manipulated into extended position as loaded and into nested relation as the merchandise is sold.

Another object of the invention is to provide shelving of the character described adapted to be arranged either in a portable vehicle or car,- rier or in a stationary compartment and which may be readily loaded and extended as the compartment is filled with merchandise and as readily moved to nested, or collapsed, position as the merchandise is disposed of.

It is a further object of the invention to provide novel means for coupling the sections as the sections are moved to extended position and for disengaging the sections, in succession, as they are moved to nested position.

With the above and other objects in view the invention has particular relation to certain novel features of construction, operation and arrangement of parts, an example of which is given in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 shows a horizontal sectional view of a delivery truck body showing one of the sectional shelves therein in extended position.

Figure 2 shows a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical, sectional view showing the sections in partly nested position. v

Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view taken on the line 4--4 of Figure 1, and

Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the truck body, or other compartment, showing a series of shelves mounted therein.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings wherein like numerals of reference designate the same parts in each of the figures the numeral l designates a truck body of conventional construction having a plurality of pairs of angle irons 2, 2 secured to the inner sides of the side walls thereof and spaced vertically apart.

The supporting framework for each shelf may be composed of longitudinal channels as 3 which may be connected together by the transverse end channels 4, 4 and by the inverted cross-channels 5, the framework of each shelf being supported by the inwardly turned bottom flanges of the respective angle irons 2,

It is to be understood that the supporting framework of each shelf and the particular body construction for supporting said frameworks may be varied as desired.

Supported on each shelf framework there is a series of shelf sections designated by the numerals 6, 1, 8 and 9, said sections when extended 7 forming a complete shelf and the forward section being stationary. This forward section will be located in a position accessible for delivery and, in the present illustration, is located at the rear end of the truck body where deliveries are to be made. The forward margin of each movable section overlaps the rear margin of the section. in front as more clearly shown in Figure 1.

At the rear end of the truck body, but in front of, and slightly beneath, the stationary section 6, there is a transverse shaft lfl whose ends are mounted to rotate in the bearings II, II which are fastened to the end of the corresponding shelf framework. Fixed on this shaft at a convenient place is the bevel gear 12 which is in mesh with, and is driven by, a corresponding bevel gear I3 mounted to rotate in a bearing M carried by the forward up-turned end of the bracket l5 which is attached to and extended forwardly from the corresponding shelf frame. This gear l3 may be turned by a detachable crank l6 and the shaft [0 thereby rotated.

Fixed on opposite ends of the transverse shaft I0 are the sprocket wheels l1, l1 over which the corresponding sprocket chains l8, l8 operate and the ends of these chains are connected to the respective ends of the cables l9, l9, said cables operating around pulleys 20, 20 at the opposite end of the corresponding shelf frame as clearly shown in Figures 2 and 3. Each chain and its corresponding cable forms an endless belt which operates over its corresponding sprocket wheel I! and pulley 20 and each belt is attached to the forward margin of the rear section 9 of the corresponding shelf as also shown in Figures 2 and 3.

The rear margins of the sections 1 and 8 have the pairs of inverted U-shaped keepers 2|, 2| and 22, 22 secured thereto and depending therefrom.

Arranged underneath the sections 8 and 9 are the pairs of flexible arms 23, 23 and 24, 24 attached at one end to the rearward margins of the sections 8 and 9 and whose free ends are upwardly bevelled and formed with the hasps 25, 25 and 26, 26 engageable with said keepers. The sections 1, 8 and 9 are thus releasably locked together to move as a unit. The rear margin of the section 9 has the transverse upstanding retainer 21.

Assuming that a shelf is in extended position, as shown in Figure 2 and is loaded with the merchandise to be sold, the merchandise on the stationary section 6 will be first disposed of. Thereupon the crank I may be turned and this will operate through the mechanism previously described to move the section 9 forwardly and the sections 9, 8 and 1 being, at this time, locked together, these sections will move forwardly as a unit until the section I coincides in position with and lies upon the stationary section 6 which has been unloaded. As the section 1 moves to final position the hasps 25, 25 will ride upon the upstanding release cams 28, 28 carried by the corresponding cross-channel 5 and will be thereby disengaged from the keepers 2! so that the forward movement of section I stopped with said section 1 in the position shown in Figure 3. The merchandise on the section 1 is now rendered accessible and may be unloaded. A continuation of the turning movement of the crank I6 will operate, through the mechanism described, to move the sections 9 and 8 forwardly as a unit until the section 8 coincides with the section 1 whereupon the hasps 25, 26 will engage the release cams 29, 29, upstanding from the crosschannel 5 and the forward movement of the section 8 will thus be stopped with said section 8 overlying and in registration with the unloaded sections 8, 1. The merchandise on the section 8 may then be unloaded and upon further rotation of the crank it, the section 9 may be moved into coinciding position with the previously nested sections 6, l, 8 and its load of merchandise discharged. It is to be understood that the shelf may be composed of any number of sections as desired.

When it is desired to load the shelf, the sections will be brought into nested, or coinciding position, one on top of the other. The top section 9 will first be loaded and the crank l 6 turned in the reverse direction which will move said section 9 rearwardly or into the truck body. As said section 9 moves rearwardly or inwardly, its hasps 26 will engage the keepers 22 of the section 8 and upon continued rotation of the crank.

I 6 said sections 9 and 8 will move together. Upon the rearward or inward movement of the section 8, its hasps will engage and interlock with the keepers 2| of the section 1 so that thereafter the sections 9, 8 and 1 will move as a unit until the shelf is fully extended, it being understood that the sections will be loaded in succession as they are moved inwardly to extended position.

The belts operating over the sprocket wheels I1 and pulleys 29 may be provided with adjustable turnbuckles 30, if desired, to provide for the required tension and to take up unnecessary slack.

The drawings and description are illustrative merely while the broad principle of the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a delivery carriage having a body, a shelf supported in horizontal position in the body, said shelf being formed of transverse sections, the forward one of which is fixed relative to the body, releasable latch means for connecting the other sections together to move as a unit, means for moving said other sections forwardly into superimposed relation with the fixed section in succession, means for successively releasing the latch means as a section moves into coinciding relation with the fixed section to allow the sections to assume a coinciding superimposed relation, said moving means being effective to also move the movable sections rearwardly into extended position, said latching means being arranged to successively re-engage upon such rearward movement.

2. In a delivery carriage having a body, a shelf supported in horizontal position in the body, said shelf being formed of transverse sections, the forward one of which i fixed relative to the body and the other sections of which are movable, means for connecting the other sections together for simultaneous movement, said connecting means includin flexible arms whose forward ends are free and formed with hasps, keeper with which the hasps are engageable, each arm being connected at one end to a movable section and a corresponding keeper being attached to a section in front of said last mentioned movable section, means for moving said movable sections forwardly into superimposed relation with the fixed section, in succession, cams on the carriage arranged to successively release the hasps from the corresponding keepers as a section moves into coinciding relation with the fixed section to allow the sections to assume a coinciding superimposed relation, said moving means being efiective to also move the movable sections rearwardly into extended position, the hasps being arranged to successively re-engage the keepers upon such rearward movement.

LOUIS B. CLARK. 

